Digimon Tamers: Diablos
by Hartleyx92
Summary: Three years after the Tamers defeated the D-Reaper, the Worlds had been lulled back into peace. However, deep within the lowest level of the Digital World, where a sacred Digimon had been imprisoned, chains are about to break. This Digimon wants nothing but to destroy. Again, the Tamers must join forces with their Digimon and fight together to save both worlds. Japanese names used
1. Prologue

It'd been 3 years since the D-reaper tried to destroy the two worlds…

Most of the damage in Shinjuku had been repaired, little evidence remained of the destruction caused by The Chaos. However, the damage that it had inflicted on the people's minds, that was far less easy to recover. The memories of their homes being engulfed in The Chaos was still fresh in their minds. No one felt quite safe anymore, always a bit more cautious when they heard something bad on the news. However, it had been 3 years of peace. Both the worlds had been separated during this time. No Digimon had passed through any portals to the Real World since…

Until a girl with flaming red hair had finally succeeded in balancing the barriers to successfully bring the Digimon back through without them Devolving into data

Now, the Tamers and their partners could be reunited…


	2. Chapter One

Her name was Mei-Ling Cheng. She hadn't lived in Shinjuku during the attacks from the D-Reaper. Her family had only moved here a few months ago. So Mei could finish the last of her plans to bring the two worlds back together. The only remaining portal was here. Sealed to stop the imbalance. It had taken Mei years of complex algorithms and changes to the network in order to be successful but she had finally been done it. Now all she had to was to break the seal on the portal and pass through to the other World…

However, now it was time for her to start her new school.

It was only a ten minute walk to the school. Mei walked in silence alongside her twin brother, Zihao. Usually they'd be some form of communication between the two siblings but today, with the start of a new school and the job they had to do afterwards, silence felt the most appropriate option for the both of them.

They were put in the same class, 3-1. They both gave minor introductions, with quite a few of the kids picking up interest to find out they were from Hong Kong. Some weren't interested at all. One boy, however, took far more interest to them than the others. Olive coloured skin, blue hair and grey eyes that focused completely on both the twins, recognition slowly etching upon his face. Jianliang hadn't seen his childhood friend in 7 years, hadn't even known she had moved to Shinjuku. She'd grown so much, so beautifully. Her green eyes eventually found his, widening a little in surprise. Then, she smiled and Jian's heart skipped a beat. He could see Zihao smirking from the corner of his eye but he didn't react in any other way. The teacher sent them to their seats and Jian's focus snapped back into being in class.

Classes had ended for the day and the everyone was gradually leaving for the day. Jian, Zihao and Mei lingering behind. Mei was the first to speak. "Sorry, Jian, that I didn't tell you that I had moved here."

"Why didn't you?" Mei Ling winced at the slight hurt in his voice.

"There are just… Things I have to do first"

"What things?"

"I can't say right now. You'll find out soon enough though." With that Mei turned and walked out the door.

"Sorry, Jian," Zihao said sheepishly "You'll have to trust us with this one." He too turned and ran out after his sister. Jian was left, looking rather confused, behind.

They eventually found the park and the set of steps that were in the most secluded part of the park. A large grey shelter, with a iron gate stood at the top. Inside, a large hole had been dug. Within that a glittering portalo shone through the darkness. Mei-Ling bought out a Green Card from it's holder and swiped it through her Digivice and the twins stepped into the other world.


	3. Chapter Two

The portal gave no resistance as they entered to the Digital World. Itl still opened up into the vast space of lost data between the two worlds. They still had to fall through the barriers to reach the Digital World. They commanded to go down and were pulled down fast towards the ground beneath them…

Takato and Jian had decided to meet after school. Even though their duties of being Tamers were over, they still retained a close friendship. Though Jian was a little distracted today and Takato couldn't help but notice.

"Jian, what's wrong, you seem distracted" Takato asked, worry casting over his furrowed brow.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Takato, I just have something on my mind." Jian replied looking apologetically at his friend.

"What happened?"

"My friend from Hong Kong… She… I didn't even know she'd moved here, she transferred into my class today, along with her twin brother."

"That's good isn't it?"

"Yeah, except they just ran off, saying that they had something important to do and that I'd find out what it is soon enough"

"You have no idea what it could be?"

"Of course not, I haven't seen her in seven years. She always was just running off without telling me what she was doing though"

"Ehhh, looks likes things could get interesting again. I don't miss all the fighting or anything like that but I do miss the adventures. There's was never a dull day when we had our Digimon… I wonder if Guilmon is still having fun."

"Terriermon too…"

"I just hope that I will one day fulfil that promise to him."

Guilmon and Terriermon were notorious for getting themselves into trouble. They had been playing tag with Culumon when they'd stumbled across a group of Kiwimon. Not really much of a threat but they have nasty tempers. And when a group of Kiwimon get angry and use their Little Pecker attack, you have to run. This managed to cause a lot of yelling that would be heard from a distance, causing two humans who had just landed on the plain to become curious over the commotion. By the time Mei and Zihao had reached them, Guilmon and Terriermon had just started fending off the Kiwimon. The Kiwimon were smart enough to know when to back away, so they ran off into the distance leaving the other two Digimon behind with the twins.

"Well, that's two of you found. Only another eight to go!" Zihao smiled down at the now confused looking Digimon beside him.

Ruki Makino was bored. She was most of the time these days. She still kept in contact with Takato and the others but without the constant threat of Digimon about, they had slowly drifted apart. She still remained good friends with Juri but she was out with other friends and Ruki hadn't felt like joining. She decided to draw out her deck of cards and practice the Digimon Card game again. She didn't need to. She hadn't participated in the Digimon Card Tournament the past few years. Going back to the playing the game after fighting in real battles for so long, it had felt too different. Too strange. However, she still looked at those cards and thought about her partner. She hadn't wanted to get so close to something made entirely of data, didn't see the point even. Digimon weren't human, they didn't feel but over time, after so many battles, Ruki grew concerned over Renamon, saw, even felt her pain. They made a connection Ruki had never had before. It only made them stronger. And now Renamon was gone but Ruki still kept herself strong. Weakness just wasn't an option for her.

The four of them headed to the Palace. The Palace of the Angels. Where Mei's and Zihao's partners would hopefully be waiting. The Angels had kept themselves low key during the battles of the D-Reaper but were still an important part. Being centered on the third level of the Digital plain, the Angels were in the perfect position to keep the Digital World from being completely destroyed by being right in the middle level of the world. The Digital World had still been badly damaged but it could've been a lot worse. At least the balance was stable now. At least they could all be reunited with their partners again.

The Palace was an extraordinary sight to behold, surrounded by gardens and giving a feeling of peace to anyone who came near. It still looked a bit damaged but the Angels looked like they'd been busy building the place back up. Mei could only hope that they were still waiting for her after all this time...


	4. Chapter Three

The fox-like Digimon, Renamon was sat in the trees, considering what to do next. Her desire to constantly find battles and grow stronger had died when she realised that wasn't completely necessary for true power. All she wanted to do was to just survive. Until the moment where she could be with Ruki again, to protect her and make sure she was always safe. Never had she felt it necessary to protect anything or anyone but Ruki had become her partner, her friend and that was worth fighting for. She knew they would meet again, it was their destiny to but for now Renamon only got into battles when she needed to, instead of constantly looking for them. She was still considering what to do when she started to sense something. Something very familiar. Two Digimon that she'd spent a lot of time fighting with were moving closer towards her. She decided to go and find them.

The Palace looked like it had recently been attacked. Guilmon and Terriermon tensed as they felt the presence of Digimon that didn't belong. Mei cast a worried glance around, disturbed that her partner hadn't greeted her. Something was obviously wrong. Then she heard it. "Heaven's Fire!", Her partner's attack. Running ahead of the others, she followed the sound to where her partner was battling a Devimon. Pantheramon, Mei's partner's adult form was a sky blue tiger like Digimon, completely shrouded in a white flame, with silver wings. She had the slight upper hand against Devimon but the battle was taking much longer than she would have liked. If only she didn't have to keep guard of the chains that ran through to the most bottom level of the Digital World. Chains that kept the the dangerous threat to them in an eternal sleep. Pantheramon was so occupied with her defence that she hadn't noticed her partner had arrived until she heard her; "Card Slash! Power Percentage Up!" Pantheramon felt a sudden rush of power flow through her and without wasting any more time, she used her special attack again. Her wings glowed and a huge shard of ice formed between then and aimed straight for Devimon's chest. Devimon didn't get a chance to dodge before the ice penetrated straight through his body, completely destroying him and eliminating him into data particles. Pantheramon turned towards her partner, Zihao and the two Digimon that had just appeared beside her. "Mei you've returned" the shock only just noticeable in her voice.

"Yes but we can reminisce later. Is there anymore Digimon around?"

"There's a vast amount of Soulmon. Angemon and Tailmon are fending them off but I wouldn't be surprised if they were starting to get tired."

"Then let's go!"

Indeed, Tailmon and Angemon were getting tired. While not greatly powerful, there were a lot of Soulmon, enough to cause a problem to the holy Digimon. They had been battling for a while and their energy was starting to wain. It was just about to look like they were about to lose when 3 allies came to join the battle. Guilmon, Terriermon and Pantheramon all helped take down the countless amount of Soulmon. There were few left. However, Terriermon had just knocked out one of the Soulmon with his Petit Twister, when another came up behind him. Unaware, the Soulmon was just about to use his End Trance attack when he heard a voice from just above him shout, "Koyousetsu."

Takato had finished helping out his parents in the bakery after getting back from hanging out with Jenrya, with just enough time to do his favourite thing before going to bed. Homework. But Takato had even less patience to do any of it that , he was feeling really positive, like he would soon be able to fulfill a promise he made to a friend long ago. He picked up a pencil and started to draw. A red dinosaur with the biggest grin on it's face staring at a plate full of bread in front of it. "We'll be together again soon Guilmon, I just know it."


	5. Chapter Four

It was another day of school and Jianliang was walking there on his own, giving him time to be alone with his thoughts. He still wanted to know why his friend of many years had suddenly reappeared and just as suddenly disappeared again, with nothing but a promise that he'd find out soon enough what she was up to. He hadn't heard anything from Mei since she'd left school the day before and he was starting to feel a little rejected. Whatever she was up to, she was leaving Jian out of it.

She was already sat in her seat when Jian got there, completely engrossed in a book she was reading. Zihao was staring outside the window but turned when Jian entered the room. He waved at Jian causing Mei to be curious enough to look up from her book. She smiled at Jian before almost immediately starting to read again, now with a troubled look on her face. Jian went to his seat with his head bowed.

Classes lasted forever that day as Jian just didn't have the patience for any of it. Mei kept her head constantly down at her work and Zihao was told off twice for staring out the window, yet managing to annoy the teacher further by answering every single question he got asked right. When the bell struck at the end of the day, Mei immediately collected her books and rushed out of class, Zihao closely following behind her, stopping just for a second to talk to Jian; "Don't worry Jian, she's just got a lot on her mind, she's not ignoring you on purpose. We'll see you tomorrow." He runs after Mei, leaving Jian behind once again.

"What the!? I'd made enough food for you to last the whole day. How could you have eaten it all in the first 3 hours of me leaving?"

"Well, we haven't eaten any proper food in a while so we just enjoyed ourselves."

"Honestly…" And then Mei burst out laughing, she had missed Digimon gluttony. Terriermon didn't seem at all fazed by his injury yesterday, having only been clipped by the Soulmon's attack after Renamon had intervened. He seemed to have celebrated this new lease of life by eating everything that was edible in sight. He was now a round, white and green ball that was now next to a red and black ball, presumably Guilmon. The other Digimon had managed to maintain their original shapes, all fast asleep until Mei had woken them up with her laughter.

"Where's Zihao?" Pantheramon yawned back into consciousness.

"He's looking for Coronamon since you guys said he shouldn't have gone too far."

"Yeah, he only left the palace the other day, so he shouldn't have."

"Why'd he leave?"

"He just wanted some time to himself. Waiting for you guys for three years was starting to get monotonous."

"Geez, thanks. It took a lot of time to get all the algorithms right and to hack into the right places…"

"We know, we're just glad you're here now."

Hirokazu and Kenta were playing the Digimon card game. Again. Though their time as Tamers had been short, Hirokazu relished on the fact that he had real life experience of Digimon battles. So much so, he was starting to get on people's nerves. Besides the card game, his retelling of his Tamer adventures had become his biggest hobby. Coming 31st in this year's Card Tournament hadn't seemed to have wounded his pride at all, the card battle meaning nothing compared to the real thing. But it was always good to keep practicing their skills, just in case.

Zihao had been walking for a good part of an hour, following the direction of the compass on his Digivice but still no sign of Coronamon. The Digimon had always had a knack for disappearing when Zihao needed him and Zihao now couldn't help the feeling that he was being followed, he really did need him. He was out of the gardens now and into the barren wasteland. Completely out in the open. Completely unprotected. He could defend himself against weaker Digimon but this one felt much stronger. At least Perfect level. He just hoped he found Coronamon soon...

Shaochung was starting to become concerned for her brother. It was the second time in a row he had returned from school with that worried expression on his face, like he was thinking far more than he should. He did that a lot these days. Without Terriermon to balance him out he had became more introverted. Jian spent most of his time in his room, occasionally staying out after school to see Takato. She guessed the he just preferred it that way. He and Shaochung still had a strong sibling relationship but it didn't feel quite enough at the moment. She thought of Terriermon and Lopmon. Shaochung was past the age of using everything as a doll to play with. If she had the chance to be a Tamer again she knew she could do better. She just hoped that she'd get the chance one day.


	6. Author's Note 1

Hi guys, this isn't a chapter, just a note from me about where I want this story to go. I'll probably do this every 5 chapters or so. These notes will be clearly marked so if you want to skip them, then, that's cool :) Hope you're enjoying the story so far!

This is a story I imagined years ago when I finished watching Tamers the first time as a continuation to the final episode but never wrote it down. I hadn't watched Digimon since Savers came out but I saw Tamers on Amazon Video and instantly watched it again and realised, I still love the show. So now I'm going to write this story down. This story will write out like a new series with every 2-3 chapters or so being a new episode. Or you can decide where the episodes start and end and you can discuss it with others if you want :)

Everything is a little choppy at the minute, I'm trying to get through these introductory chapters quickly so I can REALLY get into the storyline. More drama, better battle sequences, the works. I'm just re-introducing you to the characters as well as introducing my OC characters, Zihao and Mei-ling. These will be the main focus characters but of course Jianliang, Takato and Ruki will also get an equal share. The secondary Tamers will all return, including Ai and Makoto. Ryou may not get much cameo but if anyone wants to do a review suggesting I do more of him, I'll fit him in more somewhere. I'm trying to keep them as true to their personalities in the show as I can. Most of them are 14 in this story so of course they'll be slight differences as the story goes on. I do not miss my teenage years!

I'm using the Japanese names obviously. I just prefer them. I'm using Jenrya's and Shuichon's (Henry's and Suzie's) Chinese variant names as I want to bring more of their Chinese heritage out. They had enough shown during the anime but seeing as my main two OC are also Chinese and I've made a connection between the two families, it felt more natural to do it that way. I did make a mistake in using "Jenrya" a couple of chapters ago though, hopefully I don't do it again

Zihao's partner is Coronamon from the game Digimon World: Dusk. I looked through a good amount of Digimon and thought they'd be well suited for each other. I did have an OC for him years ago but I've forgotten a good part of the evolutions etc. and to be honest, I've got Mei's OC Digimon to rethink about. I wanted to start getting this up pretty quickly so I just recycled a Digimon for him ^^; I think they'll work well together though.

Mei's Digimon is definitely an OC, at least I hope so. If there's any other Digimon with the same descriptions or anything, I honestly didn't know about it, they're purely from my imagination. I'll do proper stats, evolutions, attacks, in the next author's notes as, naturally you won't be able to just look them up on the internet.

Patamon and Tailmon will act like her Guardian's. As such, they'll be around her but she isn't partnered to them. They evolve naturally and she can't use option cards for them as they're not connected to her Digivice.

I'll think I'll wrap this note up here. Like I said, I'll do this every 5 chapters or so. Next chapter will be the first big battle with Zihao and Coronamon. This will be far more detailed , so hope you're looking forward to it!

Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter Five

"MadLeomon, Perfect, Virus, Undead type." Zihao bit his lip. There was no way he could run from this one. It had found it's target. It would just continue to tail him until he was destroyed. A MadLeomon didn't have the brain for compromising, having sacrificed it's intelligence for more power, so talking to it was out of the question. "Yep, Coronamon really does have the worst timing when it comes to disappearing" Zihao muttered under his breath.

Juri had just returned from home from a very awkward date with Takato, or what she had hoped would still count as a date. Takato, after what had seemed a life time, had finally asked Juri if she'd wanted to: "I don't know, um, grab a movie and watch some food, I, I MEAN… grab some food and um, watch a movie?", to quote Takato exactly. For all the confidence he had gained after becoming a Tamer, it apparently hadn't transferred when having to deal with the opposite sex, always still shy and a little clumsy. She didn't hesitate in saying yes in any case, after having wanted him to ask for so long but the dates so far had not been what she had imagined. A lot of small talk or uneasy, uncomfortable silences. It didn't help that Juri was shyer than normal in these situation as well. This particular date, however, Takato had lost his footing, tripped and had fallen straight into a lampost. Juri was naturally heavily concerned about the clutzy brunette and had cut the date short to take him back to his to make sure he recovered. He wasn't badly hurt, just a nasty bruise on the head. She was determined that the bad luck they had so far encountered on their dates would subside. She felt that she deserved this little bit of happiness after all that had happened to her during the events of the D-Reaper. Nothing would stand between the two of them now.

Coronamon knew something was amiss. He had felt a sudden feeling of distress from his partner meer seconds ago. But it couldn't be, could it? Had Zihao returned to the Digital World? He had certainly felt it. Just like he could feel his energy levels rise with enough power to make him Evolve and he knew then Zihao was here and in danger. Firamon raced to where he knew his partner would be.

Mei was staring out the window, her partner, Meomon sleeping peacefully in her lap, purring softly. She was thinking about where the other Digimon were and what would happen when she and Zihao found them all. Would the Tamers be happy to see their Digimon again? "Of course they would" she whispered, gently scratching behind Meomon's blue ears. The cat like Digimon curled further into herself and Mei couldn't help but smile. She went back to staring out the window. Even if they were reunited with their partners again, would they welcome having to battle again, after having lived without any threat for 3 years. That was more questionable. She hadn't even met any of the Tamers yet, aside from Jian and Shaochung. How would they react when she reunited them with their Digimon only to tell them they had to battle an even greater foe than before… She couldn't imagine that going down too well.

She just hoped Zihao returned with Coronamon soon. She had an unnerving feeling he was in trouble and usually when she got these feelings about her twin brother, she wasn't wrong...

Firamon arrived just in time to see Zihao dodge a particularly lethal looking attack, to then have to block another hit almost immediately. Zihao knew enough martial arts for it to be useful against a Digimon but MadLeomon was far stronger and Zihao already looked tired. Using his advantage of having a surprise attack, Firamon used all his speed to drive his body directly into MadLeomon, knocking it completely off its feet, to slam right into a pillar, stunning it. Zihao, a little dazed, took a few seconds to register his partner Digimon beside him, nudging his arm to bring him back to his senses. He took enough time for MadLeomon to regain consciousness, now infuriated at having successfully been caught off guard. Its roar of outrage could easily have been heard by anyone within a 5 mile radius.

"You ready Firamon?" Zihao said, shaking his head to bring himself fully into focus.

"Always!"

"Then let's do this shit! Card Slash! Matrix Evolution!"

Flaremon suddenly appeared in front of him, just in time to block MadLeomon's Jūoudaken attack, the Fallen Beast King, with his own attack; Crimson Beast King Wave, Gurenjūouha. Evenly matched, the two attacks dispelled each other upon contact, leaving a completely open space for which MadLeomon closed, lashing straight out at Flaremon, its claws barely grazing Flaremon's body as he moved to avoid it. But it was enough for the poison in its claws to instantly bring a sharp pain up through Flaremon's insides, blurring his vision as the toxins started to take effect. MadLeomon only knew blind rage however and so could easily be fooled. Flaremon knew how to finish this battle quickly before he lost anymore of his senses. Calling his Kurenai Shishi no Mai, Crimson Lion Dance, a clone of himself suddenly appeared directly in front of MadLeomon. It was enough to grab its attention and the Digimon started to furiously punch the clone. Barely feeling the attacks graze on his actual body, Flaremon used his Gurenjūouha attack again. The wave caught up to MadLeomon before it realised what was happening and tore straight through its body. It managed one last cry before breaking up into data particles. Zihao watched as the particles dissipated into the atmosphere before running up to Flaremon. "You okay?" Zihao asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I didn't take in a lot of the poison, it'll fade out in a little while"

"Good. MadLeomon huh? An undead. This could be trouble."


	8. Chapter Six

The twins had decided to stay overnight in the Digital World. It wasn't a good idea to start missing classes after starting a new school so soon but if they could gather the Digimon together quickly and defeat this Demon before it fully awakened, a few consequences to missing school could be tolerated. Besides, Zihao wanted to make sure that Coronamon fully recovered from his injury. His breathing had evened out and his vision had returned and he was now peacefully sleeping. Mei was more concerned about the Digimon Zihao had faced earlier. An undead type. That was rare in the Digital World and there was only one monster that could bring back Digimon from the dead and he should still be in chains. Mei glanced warily down at the chains that protruded through the floors of the Palace. Still in tact, though starting to look withered, sharp cracks appearing in the dense metal. She wondered just how long they had left until they broke completely and they would have to start the battles all over again.

"Why have you called us all together Takato?" Ruki asked with a slight edge to her voice.

"Don't you just get the feeling that something is about to happen? Something big?" Takato was practically jumping up and down on the spot due to all his excitement.

"That's what you called us down to the park for? Because of a hunch you have?"

"Well… Yeah, there might be something here that will help us find out what it is."

"This is the exact spot where our Digimon returned to their world… You think it has something to do with that don't you?"

"Call me crazy but I do, yeah."

You're crazy…"

"Speaking of which guys," Hirokazu interrupted Ruki's next remark, "we saw two redheads walking towards Guilmon's home yesterday. Twins I think. No one still really goes down there so we noticed them. Probably nothing though."

"Wait!? Were they our age?" Jianliang was suddenly alert to the conversation.

"Urm, yeah, think they were the new kids in your class. They didn't turn up today did they?"

"No, they didn't." _This couldn't be what they were talking about, could it?_

"You think they were heading there knowing full well a Digimon used to live there? They'll stumble across the portal and then what? Open it somehow and go find our Digimon? Give me a break."

"No, just thought it was a little bit off, that was all. They looked pretty determined, whatever they were doing."

"I'm bored of this. Just because two new kids just happen to turn up and randomly walk a certain direction through the park, doesn't mean it has anything to do with the Digimon, I'm off!"

"Oh, come on Ruki, don't be like that!" But Ruki was already storming away from everyone, leaving Takato pouting behind her. "Ohhh, what about everyone else!? Shall we go take a look?"

"No offense Takato but I don't think we'd find much even if we looked. I'm off to get some food before the good stores close, Coming Kenta?"

"Yeah"

"Oh, I'm kinda hungry too, now that you mention it. I'll come too. Jianliang?"

"Sorry but I've got a lot of homework to do. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Okay, see you tomorrow!" Jianliang waited until Takato and the others were a safe distance away and started towards Guilmon's home

The twins and the Digimon they had found so far had set out again to find the others. They had found Guardromon, now in his child form, Hagurumon, had returned to the Gekomon and was enjoying the peace, if not quiet, of life without battles. They had done a good job of working together to rebuild their home to what it was. The Gekomon had easily welcomed him back and Hagurumon had established a simple life here. However, he'd quickly agreed to join the others with the promise of being reunited with Hirokazu. That left Impmon, Cyberdramon, Lopmon and Marineangemon. Mei was pretty positive Lopmon would have returned to Zhuqiaomon. She'd deal with him last. The other three were going to be a bit more difficult. Marineangemon would most likely be anywhere that would shelter him from getting into many battles. For an Ultimate, he wasn't a fighter. The forest by the river where the Digignomes liked to rest could be a start.

Jianliang stood in front of the portal in Guilmon's home where they had once travelled to the Digital World, many years before. It looked different to how it did after the Wild Bunch had closed it down, to prevent it from causing an imbalance between the two worlds. Now it looked… Alive. Like it had been reopened. If Mei-Ling was really behind this, Jianliang just hoped she was safe.

The forest had been pretty badly damaged since she was last here. Even if it looked like foliage, it was still data. Still easily deleted by the D-Reaper. What was left though, was still beautiful. Secluded. A perfect place for a little Digimon to keep a low profile. He found them before they found him, coming straight up to Coronamon and healing his wound from MadLeomon. Marineangemon was more than happy to have the company, though he couldn't vocally express it, he instantly tagged along. Beyond the forest and the river, the scenery soon changed. They were soon back to the barren, dirt ground, completely out in the open, where anything could get them. And being a large group of Child levels, they soon caught the attention of data starving Digmon. Most were easily dealt with, some could be persuaded to move on. A lot of the Digimon had lost the energy to maintain their Ultimate forms after the battle with the D-Reaper. Some of the more aggressive Digimon however, that had taken full advantage to absorb other Digimon's data after they'd been deleted, still managed to keep their Ultimate forms. The group were about to encounter such a Digimon. Piemon. With the look of a Joker and every bit as insane, he was looking for some fun and he'd just found such a large group to entertain.

"We have to find the crazy ones don't we?"


	9. Chapter Seven

Piemon, truly twisted and malicious, likes to play with his enemies before he kills them. A Joker through and through. "I'm not liking all these Demon or Undead type Digimon we seem to be encountering just recently." Mei says, a frown creasing her forehead. "No, in fact it seems to be all that we're encountering at the minute. Like all the other types have just disappeared or something." Zihao replies with a facial expression to match Mei's

"Either that or the number of Demon types are increasing. Which means it's steadily regaining its consciousness enough to start controlling other Digimon, bringing them out of the depths of the final layer of the Digital World."

"Guess we'll have to figure it out later. For now we'd better take care of Piemon… Wish he'd finish laughing already."

Piemon had started laughing maniacally laughing since spotting the group about 5 minutes ago and and still hadn't ceased, making the Digimon tense with unease. Obviously not the friendliest or most mentally stable Digimon there is Mei and Zihao prepare for a difficult battle. Coronamon and Pantheramon push themselves forward to the front of the crowd of the Tamers Digimon, just in time to see Beelzebumon fly over their heads.

"Impmon!" Terriermon blurts out teasingly, causing the Demon Digimon to scowl at him.

"What!? Is that how you greet an old friend. Momentai!"

"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm Beelzebumon in this form, not Impmon!"

"Alright, if you say so…", the little Digimon grins with satisfaction.

"Have you come to help us, Beelzebumon?" Renamon interjects, in the hope that anymore bickering will be avoided.

"I guess? Saw your little group down here staring at that lunatic and thought I'd come down to see what the hell was going on"

"Wait you're Impmon?" Mei-Ling finally takes her eyes off Piemon, who was still laughing long enough to join the conversation "That leaves only two more to find!"

"Beelzeb… Wait, who are the kids?"

"Mei Ling's my Tamer, while Zihao's her twin brother." Pantheramon starts to look annoyed. "Look guys, can we just get this battle over and done with before we discuss anything else!"

"Right!... When's he going to stop laughing though? Hey, Piemon, stop laughing and fight us!"

As if they had only needed to ask, Piemon immediately stops laughing, though he retains his malicious grin. "Shall we begin? I need more dolls for my collection." Beelzebumon charges first, using his wings for speed to crash into Piemon. The Demon Digimon is flung into the air but quickly regains his composure, landing agily on his feet. Beelzebumon, now left with only his shotguns to attack, after his blaster was permanently destroyed by the D-Reaper, fires continuous rounds at Piemon but only managing to graze his body. Piemon uses his Trump Sword attack. The swords start to disappear confusing Beelzebumon before they reappear just before impaling themselves into Beelzebumon's wings, dropping him to the ground and pinning him there. Completely immobilized, it looked like the end for Beelzebumon as Piemon descends down to inflict one final attack on him. This is when the twins hold out their Digivices just before they both yell "Matrix Evolution!"


	10. Chapter Eight

It had been two days since their fight with Piemon and Mei-Ling and the others were close to reaching Zhuqiaomon, their final destination before they could successfully return to the Real World with all the Tamer's Digimon. They had found Cyberdramon a short time after the battle with Piemon but he had no interest in following them, rather staying in the Digital World to continuing fighting. Mei-Ling decided to accept this, thinking that if the two partners eventually wanted to reunite, they can do so by themselves. They'd just be wasting time otherwise. Beelzebumon, who had devolved back to Impmon, hadn't sustained any permanent damage and had almost completely recovered. He, at first, was reluctant in joining them, stating that the idea of them all reuniting with their partners was ridiculous. However, his desire to see Ai and Makato quickly overshadowed any of his reservations and he went along with the rest of them. Now they just needed Lopmon. And there was only one place Mei could think of that he'd return. To the Digimon God, back to Zhuqiaomon.

Zhuqiaomon and the Angels had often been in conflict with each other ever since the Angels had chosen to accept humans and Digimon as partners, one even going so far as to acquire their own Tamer. While the Gods overlooked the living Digimon from the highest level of the Digital World, it was the Angels job to contain the broken data of deleted Digimon, preventing it from becoming corrupted and forming into deadly undead Digimon that were bent on destruction. However, a considerable amount of data had one day caught a virus that had formed into the Digimon the Angels were desperately trying to keep out of harm's way for years. They caught him in a mass of chains and sent him into exile in the lowest level of the Digital World, where no other Digimon ventured. Ever since, they had kept him under control like this. This had worked for many years, until the D-Reaper started evolving, where all the destruction it caused tore away at the levels and chains that were preventing the Ultimate Demon Digimon from breaking free. After the gates between the two worlds had been closed Zhuqiaomon had been quite satisfied that humans and Digimon could no longer interact. Now, Zhuqiaomon would have to put aside his distaste for humans again in order to fight against another common enemy. Mei had a feeling he wasn't going to comply so easily.

Zhuqiaomon's castle had been rebuilt but was not quite as intimidating as it once was. Andiramon had resumed her previous post as guarder of the gate and was more than surprised when she noticed the rather large group coming towards her.

"Terriermon, Guilmon… And The Angels… What are you all doing here?" He looked like he was having a difficult time focusing on the group, like he'd spent a lot of time staring into space.

"We're here for you, actually." Zihao piped up "We'd better speak to Zhuqiaomon first though before we wisk you away back to the Real World."

"The Real World. How? I thought we couldn't exist there anymore?"

"My sister's a bit of genius when it comes to these things. You'll be able to exist there without devolving into formless data, trust me. Do you not want to see Shaochung again?"

"Of course I do. Just how do you know her name?"

Zihao just grins "We're friends of the family. You think you could take us Zhuqiaomon?"

"If that is what you wish"

"Then let's get this over with."

Andiramon led them to where Zhuqiaomon was resting, instantly stirring at the sound of their approach. The flames surrounding him seemed to intensify and quiver with rage at the sight of them, his focus quickly settling on The Angels with Mei-Ling beside them.

"So, you Angels have returned to the human's side again. And what is she doing here!?" As usual, Zhuqiaomon didn't even bother to hide either the distaste or fury in his voice.

"If you'll allow me to speak for myself Zhuqiaomon," Mei's eyes narrowed at Zhuqiaomon, despite the magnificent difference in size. "I'm here for Andiramon, so I can return the Tamer's Digimon to them."

"Ridiculous! Our World's were separated so this atrocity of partnership between Digimon and humans could cease to exist."

"The Worlds were separated," Mei takes a large intake of breath, already losing her patience "because it was dangerous for them to co-exist. That's no longer the case."

"So, I'm supposed to happily let you break the barrier between the Worlds, potentially causing damage for the both of them. Absolutely not! There's no reason to do something so outrageous. We can handle things without human interference!"

"You know we have no choice. He'll wake up soon. We need the powers of the Digimon and Humans combined or we'll never stand a chance."

"Adramelechmon?…"

"Yes. He can no longer be contained. This will be an even more difficult foe than before. He's much more intelligent and ruthless than the D-Reaper ever was. We promised to keep him contained before he became too much of a threat but unfortunately after the D-Reaper, that's just not possible any more."

"Maybe if the Angels hadn't been playing around with you for so long, they would have succeeded in keeping him imprisoned"

"You seriously think I've been playing a game!? I…"

"It was never Mei-Ling's fault, Zhuqiaomon." Angemon jumps in to defend Mei-Ling before her temper could take over. "This was going to happen eventually. A Digimon so powerful can never be completely contained. To be honest, I think he was just playing with us up until this point… You respected the Tamers enough to fight the D-Reaper, let it be so again. You really want to put our entire world in danger just because of your feud? They helped defeat the D-Reaper. They'll do so again with Adramelechmon."

Zhuqiaomon had become uneasy since Adramelechmon had been mentioned. He knew Adramelechmon had power beyond even his own. "Hmm, Lopmon, do you wish to see the humans again?"

"If she still waits for my return, then I shall go, Kami."

"Very well.. You will let all humans take control of the Digital World eventually…"

"That's not my intention." Mei turns to leave. "All I want is for Humans and Digimon to live alongside each other peacefully as equals. I don't want to control anything or anyone. We're leaving. Andiramon will be fine with us." She storms out before Zhuqiaomon could get any chance in having the last word.

"Zihao runs up beside his sister "On a scale of 1-10, just how pissed off are you right now?"

Mei just let's out a sigh "11. Let's just get back to the portal and go home already. I'm so tired…"

It would be a three day trek back to the Palace and the portal. Mei's upbeat and enthusiastic mood had been completely obliterated by Zhuqiaomon.

It was going to be a very long journey back.


	11. Chapter Nine

It'd been a week since Mei-Ling had suddenly reappeared into Jianliang's life and disappeared again. Takato was busy skipping around with his "good feeling". Ruki was still angry at Takato about his "good feeling" and Jian was starting to feel just a little frustrated about it all. After Hirokazu and Kenta had mentioned that they'd seen the twins walking towards Guilmon's Home Jian knew she was doing something related to the Digimon. He had no idea how he knew. As far as he was aware, neither Zihao or Mei were Tamers but for Mei to be so secretive and to just disappear as she had done, she was definitely up to something big. He certainly wouldn't put it past her.

Mei, Zihao and the Digimon returned to the Real World just before dawn. It was the middle of January and the weather was bitter. Mei could see her breath as she stepped out of Guilmon's home. Her and everyone else were exhausted. It hadn't been the easiest trek back to the Angel's Palace. A large group of Digimon were hardly inconspicuous. They had fought many battles on their return and had gone straight through the portal without resting, something Mei was now regretting as they could have afforded to do so. It was a few hours before it was a respectable time to disturb the other Tamers. Now was a good enough time to sleep as any.

Takato had been visiting Guilmon's Home more frequently the past few days. The almost sacred place he had kept his Digimon hidden all those years ago hadn't changed at all. He had spent many hours here, staring at the portal that The Wild Bunch had closed off in fear that it would become unstable, in the desperate hope that Guilmon would suddenly just appear out of it or that he himself would be able to burst through and get his best friend back by his side, the way it should be.

He was at Guilmon's Home early in the morning, a little after the sun had fully risen. He was escalating the steps when he saw it. A red, lizard-like tail was just poking out from the gate of his Digimon's didn't dare move anything but the hand he was using to reach his phone. His fingers trembling while he dialled the familiar number. "Jian… get over to Guilmon's Home right now… Something's happened… Guilmon… He's here!"

Mei-Ling woke to the sound of a delirious sounding voice from right outside. Guilmon instantly heard it too. A voice Mei could tell he recognised. Before she knew it he had shot out the door and an intense noise of joy and crying almost immediately took place. The other Digimon and Zihao were still in a sleep induced confusion as Mei-Ling popped her head round the gate to see Guilmon on top of a brown-haired boy, who looked like he was having difficulty breathing. However, the boy, who must have been Takato, didn't seemed to be at all bothered that he was being suffocated. He was absolutely ecstatic. The pair were screaming at each other but were incomprehensible to anyone else by this point. This went on for a few more minutes until Jian ran round the corner. Mei's heart skipped a beat at the site of Jian standing there absolutely bewildered by what he saw in front of him. She looks down at Terriermon, still half way between sleep and reality, and gently prods him, "Terriermon, wake up. Jian's here" At the sound of Jian's name, Terriermon immediately wakes up. "Really!? Outside? Ah! JIAAANNNNN!", and before she even blinks there's another Tamer being pinned on the floor by their Digimon.

"Jian! They're here! What did I tell you!? I knew they'd return!" Takato had seemed to be deafened by his reunion by Guilmon as he was still yelling at the top of his lungs. A few muffled words from Jian were his only reply. Culumon couldn't help but join in the celebration and for the next few minutes the rest of the Digimon, along with Mei and Zihao stayed hidden and watched the happy reunion. Eventually, Mei slowly walked out in sight of the two boys with Pantheramon besides her. It takes a minute for the two guys to notice her, still coming down from the high of seeing their partners for the first time in years. Takato, still dazed and confused just blinks at her. Jian immediately snaps to attention.

"Mei-Ling… So this IS what you were doing"

"Mei-Ling? You know her?"

Mei just smiles "You were always quick on the mark to know what I was up to. Pantheramon, here." The ice blue Digimon slowly, mutely moves to Mei-Ling's side.

"Is that your partner?" _She has a lot of explaining to do._ Jian thinks with slight frustration

"Yeah… Sorry but we can talk about this after. Alright, let's begin."

"Begin? Begin what?"

"Pantheramon… Attack!"


End file.
